But the fact of the matter is that the MCLA is becoming a much bigger boy in the lax neighborhood becaues of the corporate partnership with Nike Lacrosse. At first we had very little information. Mainly because the details just hadn’t been hammered. But in the latest MCLA The Lax Mag (Volume 4, Issue 1: 2011 Conference Previews), the MCLA’s president Tony Scazzero lays out some of the deets:

“The MCLA will name a D1 and D2 Player of the Month for February, March, and April during the 2011 MCLA season. The Awards Committee will accept one nomination per conference per division each month. The Nike Community Service Team Award will be given to one MCLA team annually.”

Pretty cool stuff. Current season team and player awards, an element the MCLA has never seen, certainly adds some credibility just on contact.

(Did you notice the 1 nomination per division per conference? There will likely be some strategery with these awards. You may want to make sure your league has a nominating procedure as we get closer……….)

This will likely lead to more exposure in other lax media portals like Laxpower.com, Inside Lacrosse, US Lacrosse publiciations, etc. because now the league will be providing encapsulated profiles and status indicators for outsiders. Currently, you’ve got to wade through stat and schedule pages, or read a single game press release if there even is one. These new awards provide stories that can catch an outsider’s eye; accompanying bios with teams and players that win the monthly awards can also orient outsiders with MCLA activity.

Furthermore, the community service award is where the largest area for growth resides. As club teams, the commitment can often end with the conclusion of the fourth quarter on Sunday. For some it might include some post-game cleanup. This award will start to highlight those teams that are exemplifying the term “virtual varsity.” To mature as a league and as individuals, we need to realize we serve not only ourselves but the communities we inhabit in general.

In a related post, you may be able to set YOUR team in the right direction with something similar….

Finally, if you are an MCLA coach (like myself formerly) you likely received an email detailing a gear stipend for Nike Lacrosse products (if you didn’t, talk to your conference director ASAP). While simple, this certainly can help save some cash and get the kids looking good at the same time, perhaps enough to make the boys over at Sweet Sweet Lax proud!

Where can this relationship go from a promising beginning? We’ll have to wait and see. From this one kid’s perspective, the deal has the ability to legitimize many of the future league operations. This week on CollegeLax Radio’s second episode, Tony Scazzero will be the guest.

About Patton

Patton was head coach at Willamette University for five seasons, where he was named the 2008 PNCLL Div 2 Coach of the Year. In addition to following the MCLA avidly, he is now an official for high school lacrosse in Oregon.

In 2013 I’ll lobby my team to get Capri Pants. haha. Congrats to SU on the big win, and B-SC on a HUGE year! Love seeing those big strides being made. Add in Adrian almost knocking off Denison and parity is on its way!